Opening the Communication Channels

"Practical research" is the way Professor Michael Arthur-Kelly describes his work aimed at improving educational outcomes for children with special needs and their teachers.

He has a special interest in enhancing the educational experience of students with severe disabilities by development and testing innovative methods of engagement and communication that can be used in mainstream and special school classrooms.

Arthur-Kelly is the director of the Faculty's Centre for Special Education and Disability Studies and works closely with the Special Education Centre, and the Renwick Centre at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, a long-standing educational partner with the University.

Arthur-Kelly has taken a leading role in two recent large-scale projects that have taken research to the coalface, putting special education experts into schools to simultaneously interact with teachers while using and evaluating the educational tools he and his team have developed.

One of those projects, undertaken in collaboration with Emeritus Professor Phil Foreman and funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Projects grant, seeks to improve communicative engagement in students with the most severe disabilities. It uses what is known as a mentor modelling approach,
which involves placing a highly experienced special education practitioner in classrooms to partner with teachers and aides.

"We are working with some of the most vulnerable students in the community, young people who have profound intellectual and physical disabilities, so we have to tailor individual interventions that will address the needs and requirements of each child," Arthur-Kelly says.

"The staff and the researchers together try different methods of engaging the child, trying to find their sensory preferences, taking their lead from the child and using various communication strategies."

The research was conducted in eight schools over four years. For comparative purposes it was employed in both special schools and regular schools, and the data suggests improvements in student communication and engagement were similar in both environments.

The second study on which Arthur-Kelly is Chief Investigator, The Early Childhood Intervention - Professional Development Project, supports early childhood teachers and aides in dealing with students who have challenging behaviour, with an emphasis on children on the autism spectrum.

The researchers prepare materials and facilitate professional development sessions led by expert practitioners that train staff in a technique called functional behavioural assessment, which helps them identify a challenging student's needs and address them appropriately.

"One of the most critical things for teachers is understanding why children behave the way they do," Arthur-Kelly says. "For example, we know that children on the autism spectrum have particular challenges with finishing routines and changing activities, so early warning of classroom transitions can
be helpful, as well as reinforcing the message with a visual sign, like a hand signal, to indicate 'finish'.

"Those simple measures may well reduce the chances of a child melting down and having a tantrum, because the child knows what is going on."

The NSW Government-funded project is in its fifth and final year, with the training having been delivered to approximately 1000 teachers and aides around the state. The team is producing a DVD of best-practice strategies to be distributed to every NSW preschool and childcare centre.

"Our research is evidence-based but it is also practical," Arthur-Kelly says.

"There is a shortage of special educators, so our projects are helping to address that shortage by educating teachers in these methods.

"Ultimately, the aim is that we have students who are more engaged and teachers who are confident and competent in dealing with these classroom situations and supporting the growth of social and communicative abilities in the children they teach."

Career Summary

Biography

My research has focused on the needs of individuals with multiple and severe disability. Communication intervention and behaviour support are two main strands of this research, informed by behaviour state assessment. The needs of these people are very high and the social justice aspects of their situation are highly significant. I have also branched into related areas such as professional needs and development goals for educators in diverse schools.

Research ExpertiseCommunication intervention for people with severe disability, challenging behaviour, behavior state assessment for individuals with profound and multiple disability, inclusion

CollaborationsMy goal is to work with educators and other support personnel in a partnership to improve outcomes for children and students with a range of additional needs. My major research collaboration over time has been with Professor Phil Foreman with respect to communication supports for individuals with severe disability. However I have also collaborated with the NSW DET and ADHC, as well as other stakeholders.

Arthur-Kelly M, Farrell G, De Bortoli T, Lyons G, Hinchey F, Ho FC, et al., 'The Reported Effects of a Systematic Professional Learning Program on the Knowledge, Skills, and Concerns of Australian Early Childhood Educators who Support Young Children Displaying or at Risk of Challenging Behaviours', International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 64 131-149 (2017) [C1]

Arthur-Kelly MD, Foreman P, Bennett D, Neilands J, 'Case Reflections on Communication Support for Students with Multiple and Severe Disability in Australian General Classrooms', Journal of International Special Needs Education, 17 70-78 (2014) [C1]

Arthur-Kelly M, Farrell G, Neilands J, Foreman P, Lyons G, De Bortoli T, Bennett D, 'Sustaining implementation: Design and delivery elements in two recent special education professional development initiatives for staff working with students who have complex needs', JOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES (2013) [E3]

Neilands J, Arthur-Kelly MD, Dempsey IJ, Foreman PJ, 'Partnerships between parents and teachers during early transitions of children with disabilities', Journal of Intellectual Disability Research (2012) [E3]

Farrell GT, Arthur-Kelly MD, 'Effective professional development in early childhood settings in Australia: Maximising social and communication supports for young children at risk of challenging behaviours', Journal of Intellectual Disability Research (2012) [E3]

De Bortoli T, Arthur-Kelly MD, Mathisen BA, Foreman PJ, ''You can't do it on your own': Teachers' experiences of the role of partnerships in enhancing communication access for students with multiple and severe disabilities', PPPP '09: Power and Passion: Progress Through Partnerships: 44th ASSID Conference Presentations (2009) [E3]

Arthur-Kelly MD, Foreman PJ, Bennett DL, Pascoe SM, 'Interaction, inclusion and students with profound and multiple disabilities: Towards an agenda for research and practice', Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 8 161-166 (2008) [C1]

Foreman PJ, Arthur-Kelly MD, 'Alertness levels and communication involvement in students with most severe and multiple disabilities in Australian classrooms: Effects of short teacher training programs', Inclusive and Supportive Education Congress (2005) [E2]

Foreman PJ, Arthur-Kelly MD, 'Behaviour states and educational settings for students with the most severe intellectual and multiple disabilities (SIMD): Australian data', Congress Abstracts (2004) [E3]

Arthur-Kelly MD, 'Socio-communicative variables and behavior states in students with profound and multiple disabilities: Descriptive data from school settings', Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 38 200-219 (2003) [C1]

Dempsey IJ, Arthur-Kelly MD, 'Support staff in a sample of Australian community-based services for people with a disability: career intentions, personal characteristics and professional development needs', Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 27 (3) 201-214 (2002) [C1]

Arthur-Kelly MD, Foreman PJ, 'Educational programming for students with high support needs: Report data from teachers, paraprofessionals and other professionals working in Australian schools', Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 30 115-139 (2002) [C1]

Dempsey IJ, Arthur-Kelly MD, 'Staff characteristics and professional development needs in employment services for people with intellectual disability in NSW, Australia', Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 44, 285 (2000) [E3]

Dempsey IJ, Arthur-Kelly MD, 'Characteristics and professional development needs of staff working in employment services for people with a disability', Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 23 (4) 333-342 (1998) [C1]